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Hi! I'm Zach, the Editor-in-Chief here at The Cinema Spot. The TCS team and I are always hard at work to put out the best content we can, and we're even developing a few new features! Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest contests, daily news articles, comprehensive reviews, and more!
Last Night In Soho is perhaps the most gorgeously crafted and genre focused feature Edgar Wright has made to date. From the very initial seconds of the opening sequence, it was crystal clear that we were in for an entertaining ride. The notion of nostalgia and it’s rather obsessed effects are at the very core of this twisted tale from the get go. In the exploration of this often melancholic sentiment, Wright is able to capture fragments of a coming of age story.
As an audience we stand on the sidelines watching Eloise as she leaves her childhood home in the Cornish countryside to begin Fashion School in London. Her early experiences at university are unbelievably on the nose, underpinning why many students struggle to adjust with ease into their new and often jarring environments. It is this turbulent that sets our weary protagonist on her journey to fight her overwhelming sense of loneliness, which leads her to the Swinging Sixties.
Wright’s ability to write female characters who feel multifaceted and bursting with personality is a trait to be applauded. These characters are not damsels in distress, but women forming their paths. Being his first woman led flick, distinct messages concerning the extreme to which women have been crushed by the patriarchy for decades, often able to achieve their dreams only through false performances and alternate personalities constructed solely to appease men.
The film contains a faultless balance of elements from the horror, drama and musical genres, in turn creating a unique hybrid genre of sorts. The scenes set in the sixties are a real treat. Detailed production, costume, hair and makeup design meld to form a hyperreal recreation of an era so commonly pined over. It is absolutely immersive and within the blink of an eye, Wright’s use of the setting is able to shift from what seemed like a dream into a gruelling nightmare.
However, similar to multiple other stories written by Wright, this film is quintessentially British in all the right ways. Several subtle jokes land perfectly, providing some necessary comic relief as the narrative continuously descends into darkness.
Performances are impressive across the board, but none more so than leading lady Thomasin McKenzie who continues to prove the extent of her talents. Anya Taylor-Joy is as wonderful as ever, bringing so much confidence to her role and lending her musical talents to a beautiful yet haunting rendition of Petula Clarke’s iconic hit Downtown. Matt Smith is transformative as a character who manages to blur the line between charming and petrifying.
The final act did become predictable as the film began to reach its new equilibrium. At times the emotional climax of the story accidentally breaks away from the style and grounded writing that had otherwise been impressively cohesive throughout at the expense of what may have been the most emotionally heartfelt moments of the entire plot.
All in all, this is a tale which cautions against the overwhelming desire most of us have felt at some points in our journey and that is the act of living vicariously through others. It captures the hardships craving happiness in our own lives, at times so badly that it sends us down the wrong path. With a story composed of universal sentiments, audiences will find connections between themselves and these complex characters with ease, making it no surprise that Last Night In Soho could be a real crowd pleaser.
Written By: Yasmine Kandil (@byebyebucky).
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Hi! I'm Zach, the Editor-in-Chief here at The Cinema Spot. The TCS team and I are always hard at work to put out the best content we can, and we're even developing a few new features! Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest contests, daily news articles, comprehensive reviews, and more!
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